Cyclingflash
Why you won’t see Tom Pidcock in Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico

Why you won’t see Tom Pidcock in Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico

Niels Bastiaens

To win Milan-San Remo, you need to have Tirreno-Adriatico or Paris-Nice in your legs: that was the philosophy in the pro peloton for many years, but now more and more riders are doing things differently. Not only Strade Bianche winner and world champion Tadej Pogacar, but also the British all-rounder Tom Pidcock. His coach Kurt Bogaerts explains to us why.

According to Bogaerts, the status of Tirreno-Adriatico as the ultimate recipe for success is outdated. "Many riders still do it, but if you keep doing the same thing or follow others constantly, that’s not necessarily good. Tom is someone who has no problem racing the same events year after year, but that mainly applies to the monuments. Around that, we look for opportunities to taste other races."

Bogaerts sees a major disadvantage to Tirreno-Adriatico. "It starts shortly after Strade Bianche, and the combination with Paris-Nice is even tougher. After a hard race like Strade, you always see some release in the riders. You carry that with you throughout the stage race. It’s impossible to line up super fresh so soon after such a tough race. You feel it in your legs, and that makes the early opportunities more difficult."

Catalonia
As an alternative, Pidcock chooses the Tour of Catalonia starting on March 22, but that stage race also begins just two days after the other target, Milan-San Remo? "That’s true, but in my opinion La Primavera is less demanding than Strade Bianche. There it’s 200 kilometers at full intensity, while Milan-San Remo is longer but has a more compact finale. It’s not ideal either, but definitely not impossible."

Bogaerts sees an additional advantage for his British protégé in the Catalan race. "With his ambitions for the Tour de France in mind, it’s a race featuring much longer climbs. It’s not that we necessarily want to see where he stands uphill, but it’s a good exercise to maintain the climbing aspect. It’s certainly not a goal in itself, more like a preparation for what comes next."

For Pidcock, those next targets are mainly the climbing classics Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "Tom already has the explosive power. His five-minute power values are good. But racing a race like Catalonia can also make you stronger in the moments between climbs. Nowadays, the classics break open very early. If you climb better then, you don’t blow up as quickly and can preserve your punch more easily."